David Paxton

The challenge at SNPA is similar.  SNPA has been serving newspapers for more than 100 years.  Our goal, recently restated, but not really changed, is this: "Making Southern publishers successful."

Southern publishers face more challenges today than they have in decades.  At the same time, there exist opportunities to tap new technologies and potentially transform the business.

One thing is certain.  None of us can afford to simply stand still.

At SNPA, we will continue to do those things we do well, and that our members tell us have value, things like the Traveling Campus programs that have trained thousands, and the salary and benefit surveys that have practical, near-term value, and targeted meetings such as the Workshop for Smaller Newspapers held each fall. But, we will also not hesitate to change and evolve to meet our members' needs.

We have revamped the program for the Key Executives Conference in the past two years, under the leadership of Jim Moroney and Nelson Clyde, and included more interactive sessions.  The evolution of this program continues under Reid Ashe this year, and I strongly encourage you to make sure your organizations are well represented at Tampa in February.

Recognizing the obvious changes in the way we gather the news and reach our readers, or perhaps more correctly, our consumers, we are replacing our readership and circulation conferences with a brand new meeting focused on the evolving ways newspapers gather audiences.  Steve Brandt of Greenville is heading the team developing the program, and again I urge that you attend the first ever Audience Development meeting in Columbia in May.

Lastly, we will continue to sponsor Publishers Forums across the South.  These forums are a direct result of the recommendations developed by the Strategic Planning Committee, are extremely cost-effective, and have been very well received.  SNPA has thrived over the years by offering publishers the opportunity to make connections and build relationships that can make them more successful.  If you or publishers within your organization haven’t attended a forum, I urge you to do so.  Better yet, offer to host one at your newspaper.  Simply contact Edward VanHorn or me for details.

I look forward to an exciting year, and I appreciate the opportunity to serve.

Paxton is president and CEO of Paxton Media Group in Paducah, Ky., and can be reached at dpaxton@paxtonmedia.com

Raymond Linex II

Longtime editor Raymond Linex II has been appointed publisher of the Corsicana (Texas) Daily Sun. Linex has served as interim publisher and editor since the departure of former publisher Bob Dennis, who left for Illinois in July to become publisher of the Mount Vernon (Ill.) Register News. Linex joined the Daily Sun in 1992 as a football stringer. In 1993, he became a member of the staff, and was named co-sports editor in 1996, along with Dale Gosser, current editor of the Cleburne (Texas) Times-Review. After a stint in Arlington, he returned in August 1998 as sports editor, taking over as editor in October 2000.

Scott Moon will join The Galveston County Daily News, Galveston, Texas, as director of advertising on Monday. He will oversee all retail, classified and Internet sales, as well as ad services. He comes to The Daily News from Houston Community Newspapers where he served as classified advertising director.

Linda Fisk

Freedom Interactive, the internet subsidiary of Freedom Communications, announced a reorganization designed to heighten customer-orientation while driving the interactive business forward at an accelerated pace. Linda Fisk, vice president of marketing, has assumed the additional responsibilities of leading the interactive classified lines of business, outbound telesales efforts, as well as local and national search products and services. Reporting to Fisk is Tom Rogers, director of call center operations; Mark Robertson, director of local and national search; and Bret Jacomet, in a newly-created position as general manager of classified advertising.

Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. and Bowater Incorporated have announced the expected composition of the new Board of Directors for AbitibiBowater Inc., following the combination of Abitibi-Consolidated and Bowater. The board composition is subject to the appointment of directors following the completion of the combination. The proposed combination has now received all necessary regulatory approvals, as well as approvals from shareholders of Abitibi-Consolidated and Bowater. The 14-member board will include seven directors from each company's current board: John Q. Anderson, chairman and CEO of BigWheel Partners Inc., a private equity investment affiliate of Fenway Partners Inc.; Hans P. Black, chairman of the Board of Interinvest Consulting Corporation of Canada, a global money management firm with offices in Montréal, Boston, Bermuda and Switzerland; Jacques Bougie, president and CEO of Alcan Inc. from 1993 to 2001, and current chair of Abitibi-Consolidated; William E. Davis, chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation from May 1993 to February 2002; Richard B. Evans, president and CEO and director of Alcan Inc. since March 2006, and director of Bowater; Gordon D. Giffin, senior partner with the law firm McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP; Ruth R. Harkin, senior vice president/international affairs and government relations of United Technologies Corporation and chair of United Technologies International from June 1997 to February 2005; Lise Lachapelle, president and CEO of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association from 1994 until January 2002; Gary J. Lukassen, executive vice president and CFO of Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from 1989 until his retirement in 2001; David J. Paterson, chairman, president and CEO of Bowater and future president and CEO of AbitibiBowater; John A. Rolls, managing partner of Core Capital Group, LLC, of New York; Bruce W. Van Saun, vice chairman and CFO, The Bank of New York Mellon; John W. Weaver, president and CEO of Abitibi-Consolidated and future executive chairman of AbitibiBowater; and Togo D. West Jr., chairman of TLI Leadership Group.

Walter E. Hussman Jr.

Newspapers and the Internet: Where are We in 2007?
While a few newspapers are being successful in extending their audience reach through their Web sites, most newspapers are only picking up an additional 1-3 percent of the market through their online efforts, Walter E. Hussman Jr., publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock), told publishers at last week's SNPA Annual Convention.

He said The Atlanta (Ga.) Journal-Constitution reaches 17 percent of its market with ajc.com. Combined with the paper's 47 percent reach with its print edition and taking into account the 53 percent that is unduplicated (print and online), online readers account for an additional 6 percent of readers.

The Washington (D.C.) Post, Tampa (Fla.) Tribune and The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) each achieve 4 percent incremental increases with online products.

"The vast majority of people who are going to our online sites are people who are already looking at our print product," Hussman said.

Hussman shared a number of Internet statistics that compared time spent reading online versus print, total online audience, numbers of unique visitors, Web page views and total audience visits per person per month.

Citing a Creative Destruction report, Hussman said newspapers can't succeed simply by replacing their hard-copy readers with online readers. The report says that, on a person-by-person basis, the sale of hard-copy newspapers is vastly more profitable than drawing people to the paper's Web site. It estimates that a newspaper would have to attract two or three dozen online readers to make up for – in terms of advertising revenue – the loss of a single hard-copy reader.

Hussman also looked at the Top 10 online news destinations, calling three of the companies "free-riders" who don't employ a single reporter: Yahoo! News, AOL News and Google News.

He proposed that The Associated Press use the content generated by newspapers to create the world's greatest Web site, saying: "I think there would be an avalanche of users who would go there. It could generate a lot of revenue – maybe hundreds of millions of dollars" that could be shared by AP and the contributing newspapers.

During a Q&A session following Hussman's presentation, Jay Smith, president of Cox Newspapers, challenged newspapers, saying: "We are at the birth of a new medium. For those of us who think the Internet is simply a place to take what was in this morning's newspaper and put it online, if that's as far as we want to go, we will not only see no growth, we will see declines in our online audience."

He said the percentage of content on ajc.com that also appears in the print editition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is only 10 percent. "Ninety percent of what shows up on ajc.com never sees the light of day in print."

The challenge, he said, is for every newspaper to maximize its audience – both in print and online. "I think each of us has to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves: 'How are we going to play in this new medium?'"

Hussman's address and PowerPoint slide show are available from SNPA. To order, click here.

What Recent Transactions Say About the Value of the Newspaper Franchise
Wall Street and the private equity funds that Veronis Suhler Stevenson represent believe that, even though newspaper revenues are relatively small today in comparison to total newspaper spending, the newspaper industry has the substance in its content to end up having a growth story again in the future. That was the message delivered at last week's SNPA Annual Convention by John S. Suhler, president, and James P. Rutherford, executive vice president, both of Veronis Suhler Stevenson.

John Suhler	Jim Rutherford

Rutherford said he believes online and digital advertising are going to continue outpacing print "for as long as you can forecast forward." While the base is relatively small, he said it is growing. "In the 2008-2009 period, it's becoming big enough that its growth rate is starting to lift the boat. It's impacting and offsetting the inherent growth declines in print."

He encouraged publishers to manage costs harshly and aggressively and to invest in online opportunities.

Enhanced with a PowerPoint presentation, Suhler and Rutherford, talked to SNPA publishers about the current environment for newspaper values, recent newspaper acquisitions, the long-term prospect for the U.S. newspaper industry, local media competition, and outside capital for newspaper companies – from the perspective of both public companies and private equity ownership.

For a copy of the PowerPoint presentation, contact Jim Rutherfurd.  He can be reached at (212) 935-4990 or rutherfurdj@vss.com.

Newspaper Next 2.0:
Building Audiences Beyond News...Building Revenue Beyond Advertising
Over the past six months, the American Press Institute has been examining the next steps to take with its Newspaper Next project.

At last week's SNPA Annual Convention, Andrew B. Davis, president and executive director of API, said his staff is now focused on bridging from what it calls "maximizing the core" to "building audiences beyond news and building revenue beyond advertising."

The goals for this next phase – Newspaper Next 2.0 – are focused on providing practical solutions to help newspapers make the transition from a monolithic business model to a portfolio model. Specific goals include developing:

Andrew B. Davis

• A shared understanding of what's disrupting newspapers
• A clear product development process to see and seize local growth opportunities
• A strategic framework to point out some of the best places to start

If the industry continues the way it is going, things are not going to be great, Davis told SNPA publishers. "But the good news is that we can change."

He said newspapers need to exercise speed, intensity and focus in their efforts to help residents of their communities feel a complete part of those communities. He said they need to become a life-enabler for everyone who lives in the community:

• The source people try first when they are dealing with a local want, need or problem
• The source they use most often to know what's going on in the community
• The best source of facts, knowledge and wisdom about the community
• A source available in the times, places and circumstances when it is needed the most
• The town square and connecting tissue of community life
• The place residents go to be a part of the fabric of life in the community

On the advertising side, newspapers need to help businesses connect with everyone who lives in the community who could possibly buy their products or use their services. They need to offer all kinds of solutions for all kinds of needs:

• Big, comprehensive solutions for reaching people
• Narrow, targeted solutions for reaching people
• Small, low-cost ways to reach people
• Ways to reach specific target groups, niches, interests
• Ways to create 1-to-1 customer relationships and build loyalty
• Ways to build the business image or brand
• Ways to reach people when they are most likely to buy
• A creative, flexible, multi-dimensional organization that helps businesses with whatever they are trying to do

Davis' presentation and PowerPoint slide show – complete with specific examples – is available from SNPA. To order, click here.

Annual Convention Includes Salute to Three Pulitzer Winners
The Monday general session of last week's SNPA Annual Convention included a tribute to three SNPA member newspapers that won Pulitzer Prizes this year:

Victor H. Hanson III

• Brett Blackledge of The Birmingham (Ala.) News – for investigative reporting
• Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta (Ga.) Journal-Constitution – for commentary
• Debbie Cenziper of The Miami (Fla.) Herald – for local reporting

The publishers of the Birmingham and Atlanta papers – Victor H. Hanson III and John Mellott – addressed the convention with a discussion of whether these prizes drive community perceptions of newspaper journalism. The publisher of The Miami Herald – David Landsberg – was unable to attend the convention, due to a conflict with an Inter American Press Association General Assembly in his hometown.

Hanson said residents of Birmingham were more concerned about the story itself, than the prize. He said newspaper communities "like us to succeed...and that's what makes a difference. The readers are more interested in what we say than in what is said about us."

Although earning the Pulitzer Prize was very gratifying, he said The Birmingham News isn't in the business of winning prizes. "We're in the business of reporting the news." But, it's that kind of journalism that he worries is being threated as cost and revenue structures change in the newspaper business.

At The News, he says his staff talks often about its mission: to inform and serve the community in a profitable manner.

John Mellott

Mellott noted that Tucker's Pulitzer Prize was the 12th Pulitzer for the AJC. "In our case, I see no evidence that perception of our brand has changed as a result of winning a series of Pulitzers," he said. "However, I do believe that there are three areas in which the prizes do mean a lot."

"First," he said, "they reinforce the brand image within the marketplace of quality. Secondly, in the case of Cynthia, it changes perceptions within certain groups within the community. Finally, it validates the work of the newsroom."

He said, "At a time when all of our newsrooms are under such extreme pressure, that validation was very important to us. The timing couldn't have been better."

An audio CD with their remarks is available from SNPA. To order, click here.

Morris Publishing Group to Sell 14 Daily Papers, Related Publications
Morris Publishing Group has signed a definitive asset purchase agreement to sell 14 daily newspapers, three non-daily newspapers, a commercial printing operation and other related publications to GateHouse Media, Inc. for a purchase price of $115 million, subject to a working capital adjustment.

Morris Publishing Group will utilize all of the net cash proceeds from the sale to pay down the debt outstanding under its bank credit agreement. The transaction is expected to close before the end of November and is subject to regulatory and Morris Publishing's lender approval and customary closing conditions.

Among the daily newspapers to be sold are four SNPA members: The Daily Ardmoreite (Okla.), The Shawnee (Okla.) News-Star, The Oak Ridger (Tenn.) and the Winter Haven (Fla.) News Chief.

Commenting on the sale, William S. Morris IV, Morris Publishing Group's chief executive officer and president, said, "While it is difficult to say goodbye, this sale is in line with our strategic plan to focus on our larger markets and will enable us to pay down our existing bank debt. We greatly appreciate the work by the employees of these great newspapers during the time they've been a part of Morris."

Newsprint Consumption Down 9.8 Percent in September
Newsprint consumption by U.S. daily newspapers was down 9.8 percent in September 2007 compared with September 2006, according to the September Monthly Newsprint Statistical Report from the Newspaper Association of America. Final inventories averaged 40 days supply at the end of September 2007, compared with 42 days a year earlier. Stocks were down 13.1 percent.

There were five Sundays in September 2007, compared to four Sundays in September 2006.

To view the full report, click here.

$500,000 Scripps Howard Foundation Grant Funds Media Lab at UT
A $500,000 grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation will fund construction of a new media laboratory for the University of Tennessee’s College of Communication and Information in Knoxville.

The facility, which will be called the Scripps Convergence Communication and Information Laboratory, will be designed to help UT students prepare to work in a media industry that is becoming increasingly more digital and interactive. Construction on the lab is scheduled to begin during the summer of 2008 on the fourth floor of the UT Communications Building.

“The Internet and other emerging electronic platforms are revolutionizing how people are consuming media,” said Judith G. Clabes, president and chief executive officer of the Scripps Howard Foundation. “Consequently, much of our focus at the Scripps Howard Foundation has been on helping schools of communication across the country prepare their students to work in our ever-evolving industry. We view our growing partnership with the University of Tennessee as a wise investment in the education of future media and communications professionals.”

The Scripps Howard Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The E. W. Scripps Company, which owns and operates Knoxville-based Scripps Networks and the Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper. Scripps Networks includes the company’s portfolio of national lifestyle television networks, including HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living TV Network and Great American Country.

The grant for the media lab is the second commitment that the Scripps Howard Foundation has made to UT’s College of Communication and Information. Previously, the Foundation presented the university with a $50,000 gift to fund the Tennessee Journalist Web Journalism Project, which connects UT journalism and electronic media students with top Web journalism professionals.

November Conferences Focus on Circulation, Classified
The Suburban Newspapers of America invites SNPA members to take advantage of SNA member rates for two conferences to be held next month:

• SNA Circulation Managers Conference, Nov. 13-14 – $259
• SNA Classified Managers Conference, Nov. 14-16 – $475

Both will be held at the Grand Hyatt Tampa, Tampa, Fla., and additional savings are available if more than one person attends from a given newspaper.

For details on the conference programs, go to www.suburban-news.org.

Adicio Signs Agreement to Distribute TheDriversSeat.tv Reviews
Adicio, Inc. has announced a new licensing agreement with The DriversSeat TV, an emerging consumer automotive information site, to distribute video and text reviews. The exclusive agreement will provide Adicio’s automotive software clients with new content to help consumers make better car buying decisions.

This new feature offers unbiased video reviews and articles, video editorials and 100-point personalized ratings to the Internet’s leading newspapers, media companies and Web portals using Adicio’s automotive platform.

The videos are designed to be viewed in less than three minutes because most consumers lose interest after 90 seconds.  In each video, automobile shoppers are given a quick overview, a discussion of the pros and cons of the vehicle, an assessment of the competitors in the segment, and a recommendation on whether or not to purchase the vehicle. Each recommendation factors in over 15 key points such as price, styling, product life cycle, safety and resale value.

Electronic Edition Free Today
A production problem held up delivery of The Denver Post this morning. Deliveries were expected to be completed in the metro area by 9 a.m., but statewide deliveries could continue for most of the day. With Denver readers eager to read about yesterday's World Series game, the paper published a message on its Web site this morning encouraging readers to click here to read the electronic edition for free.

Ken Rodriguez: Career Day Appearance Designed to Right a Decades-Old Wrong
Ken Rodriguez of the San Antonio (Texas) Express-News agreed to speak this week at Bracken Christian School's Career Day program. He says, "I wanted to help fuel a dream – not douse one. I wanted to show what can happen when a 16-year-old follows an inspired longing." In his column in Tuesday's paper, Rodriguez says he was advised – when he was 16 years old – to reconsider his plans to become a sportswriter. His adviser warned him of the low pay, saying: "There's no money in journalism. Reporters make less than school teachers." He told the students in the class he spoke with this week not to let anyone talk them out of their dreams. Read more

Reader's Corner contains, from time to time, links that require registration on another site. Registration rules and requirements are established by the host site and participation by eBulletin readers is entirely voluntary. Articles cited here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SNPA or its Board of Directors. Links refer the reader to the source material.

Planning Will Improve Writing/Editing Process

Randy Hines

By Randy Hines

Many newswriting problems in our papers stem from lack of planning rather than lack of writing or editing skills.  Given an assignment, a reporter needs to think about possible sources (both live and otherwise) beyond the obvious.  What has been written on the topic previously?  What does the organization say about itself on its Web site or in prior news releases?  Have you checked out its annual report or newsletters?

If it's an interview, often a subject will be open and respond interestingly to a concluding question such as, "What do you wish I would have asked you?"  Granted, the answer may be a positive spin for the person, but enough details could be provided to give you an unplanned angle or perhaps a sidebar. 

Improvements to story content can result from a wordsmith thinking beyond the basic news columns full of text.  Is there a chart or table than can help explain the story?  Complex information can often be communicated clearly and quickly with a graphic element.  And the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" still has lots of merit.

But please try to avoid those typical mug shots.  Can you capture the person doing something other than smiling at the camera?  With the cost of film and developing no longer a concern, digital cameras can give a reporter plenty of opportunity to take effective candid shots.  Your story more than likely today will also appear on the paper’s Web site.  A photo gallery could be added to the link that can showcase all of the good shots you obtained, not just the one or two appearing with your copy.
                       
Randy Hines is an associate professor at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. He writes frequently on media topics and conducts workshops on a variety of subjects. He can be reached at randyhinesapr@yahoo.com.

Hiring Techniques That Deliver…Every Time

Lynée Alves

By Lynée Alves

Hiring good people who can move your business forward remains one of the most important things you can do for your newspaper company. And even in an environment where positions may be reduced, there are always key positions that need to be filled with the right people.

Does your newspaper organization have a hiring process that consistently delivers qualified candidates and outstanding new hires? Do all your personnel who are involved in the hiring process have a clear understanding of the qualities they should be looking for in every candidate…no matter which position they are applying for?

Read on for some helpful tips that will ensure that your newspaper company hires the best people…every time.

Set Your Criteria: In setting your criteria, consider both general company criteria and criteria that are specific to each position you hire for. General criteria would include things like: positive attitude, desire to excel, strong work ethic and excellent communication skills. Specific criteria would include things like: related work experience, proven track record in area of discipline and genuine enthusiasm about your specific job opportunity and your company.

Develop Your Interview Questions: Once you have your criteria developed, the next step is to compile a list of “core” interview questions to be used by all interviewers across all departments. Use questions that can help you and your team learn about a candidate’s work experience and their strength of character. Some sample questions include:

• Why do you want to work at our newspaper company?
• What do you think are the top 3-5 skills you bring to this position?
• Who are one or two people (personal or professional) who have most influenced who you are today? How did they influence you?

Consider writing down the types of answers you and your hiring managers are looking for. This will make it even easier to spot a great candidate during an interview.

Conduct Your Interviews: One of the most effective tools you can use to ensure you bring in the best candidates for in-person interviews is telephone screening. Schedule telephone interviews with the most promising candidates based on your internal resume reviews. If they are good on the telephone, chances are they will also be good in person.

Keep in mind that consistency is important regardless of whether you are interviewing internal or external candidates. Utilizing these hiring techniques works equally well for both and it ensures the integrity of your hiring process for all applicants.

Lynée Alves is the founder and president of Think Brighter™, a professional business coaching service. She spent 19 years at the Chicago Tribune, including 10 years in advertising sales management. She can be reached at (847) 277-1175, by e-mail at lynee@thinkbrighter.com or on the Web at www.thinkbrighter.com. To receive a free copy of Alves' publishing e-newsletter each month, contact her at lynee@thinkbrighter.com.

eBulletin Archives Now Available
Can't remember when you saw it in the SNPA eBulletin? Find it in the eBulletin archives. All of the SNPA eBulletins from November 2000 to the present are just a few clicks away. Here's how to access them:

• Log into the members section of the SNPA Web site – www.snpa.org. If you need your password, contact cindy@snpa.org. Choose "eBulletin" from the menu on the left rail of the home page.Enter your search term and press "Enter." Links to all the eBulletins in which that term appears will be listed. If you'd like to see all of the eBulletins, enter "eBulletin" as the search term.
• Have more questions? Contact anyone on the SNPA staff at (404) 256-0444.

List Newspaper Job Openings on the SNPA Web Site
SNPA member newspapers can post job openings free of charge on the SNPA Web site. To post your job, send the text of the ad to cindy@snpa.org. Most announcements will stay on the site for a month, but you can request shorter or longer runs. Click here to access the SNPA Jobs Board.